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FDA
recalls horse product
2002-05-31
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The government has ordered a nationwide recall of a horse
drug sold over the Internet
called Miracle Leg Paint, because it contains mercury that is
poisonous both to horses and to people.
Horse
owners who have purchased the product should not use it.
Instead, they should contact local waste-management authorities to
determine how to destroy it without
endangering animals, people or waterways, the Food and Drug Administration
warned.
Miracle
Leg Paint, marketed by Equine Miracle Corp. of Grapeland, Texas,
contains a mercuric chloride blistering agent.
An
old folk remedy for lameness and other horse leg ailments was to irritate
the horse's skin
with that or similar chemicals, on the theory that the blister would cause
disease-fighting
blood cells to descend on the area and help the original leg
ailment,
said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, FDA's veterinary medicine chief.
Only
later did scientists discover mercury is toxic, and people who get
mercury-containing agents
over much of their skin can become seriously ill, even die, he
added.
An Alabama veterinarian called the FDA on April 30 to say he had just
autopsied a horse
whose owner had applied Miracle Leg Paint.
While there is no evidence the product played a role in the horse's death,
Sundlof said,
it did spark an FDA investigation.
Equine
Miracle Corp. was selling an unapproved drug, Sundlof said.
The company agreed to recall it Thursday. Georgia Brown, who with her
husband
owns Equine Miracle, angrily asked why the FDA didn't shut her down in
1999,
when she first faxed the agency the ingredient label of the then-new
product
and before the couple invested their life savings in it.
She said veterinarians are among her customers but had never voiced safety
concerns.
But
the FDA said it wasn't aware Brown sold the product in 1999 --
officials thought she was asking permission to sell. In February
2001,
the FDA wrote Brown to say she hadn't provided enough evidence to win such
approval.
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At the 2002
Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show Rodeo,
held at the Will
Rogers Memorial Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, Don Gay,
8 Time PRCA World Bull Riding Champion
and rodeo commentator on TNN,
was awarded the Lane Frost Memorial Award. The award is presented yearly
to an individual for
"recognition of significant contributions in promoting and
enhancing the image of rodeo".
The Frosts were also there for the presentation of the award to Don. Don
Gay was an important influence
to Lane in Lane's early years. In December 1987 at the NFR
in
Las Vegas, Nevada, when Lane became the 1987 World Champion Bull Rider,
he was quick to credit three men for his success: his father, Clyde
Frost; the legendary Freckles Brown,
and eight-time world champion Don Gay.
"Freckles and my dad are the greatest teachers I ever had", Lane
said,
"They got me started the right way. Donnie came along and put the
icing on the cake."
Lane was 9 when he first got on a bull.
However, to the relief of his
family, he met Don Gay around that time,
and Don told Lane that he should just
keep riding calves and steers until his
bones were
more fully developed.
Mrs. Frost says that they had been telling Lane the same thing, but of
course he listened to Don!
At the age of 15 Lane started to ride bulls on a regular basis after the
Frost family moved to Oklahoma.. |
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World
Bullriding Federation (WBF) Press Release
February 26, 2002
Craig Copeland is announcing
the formation of the World Bullriding Federation (WBF)
with the assistance of eight times World Champion Bull Rider Don Gay,
from Mesquite, Texas.
"Our mission
statement," says the undisputed King of Bull Riders,
"is that we are the association for those who love bull
riding.
From the successful, seasoned professional, to the novice,
for people who raise and buck bulls, to the fans that love to watch them
buck;
WBF will bring cohesiveness to the rodeo/bull riding industry."
Gay feels there is a lack of
communication between the organizations and its members.
Some events have too many riders, while other events don't have
enough.
"You wind up driving by as much money as you can win," says
Gay.
It was rumored that Gay and
Copeland were looking to purchase the
North American Bull Riding Association (NABA) a few weeks ago.
However after careful consideration, Gay decided to help Copeland start
this new association.
" I have been talking with Craig for a couple of years about the
need for somebody with the experience
that I had to coordinate the event," said Gay, speaking of his
television involvement.
I'm going to help Craig put
this together because I have seen how egos and greed
can really take its toll on an organization.
This bull riding association is going to be run by the wishes of the
membership.
The rule book for the association is not going to be very big.
I've had experience with the PRCA and the PBR and most of the rules can
be circumvented.
Events can be sanctioned and membership can be acquired.
I'm not going to put a bunch of rules up there so I have to be a police
force.
Rules are going to be; enter an event, show up and compete," he
explained.
"The rules are basic and simple, if your not injured or don't
comply,
you will not be invited back or your event will not be sanctioned."
"The invitation is
there. We don't mind doing the work.
I'm not going to say that I know everything there is to know about the
bull riding business,
but I've grown up in the professional rodeo environment.
My Daddy and Jim Shoulders started the Mesquite Rodeo in 1958,
when I was 5 years old, so rodeo is my life."
"The opportunity that
is out there right now for us is really big," said Gay.
Currently, there are television negotiations for the WBF being
discussed.
He expects to have it finalized very soon.
But until then , you can still see Donnie, Dan and Pam on TNN doing the
PRCA telecasts.
"There's never been a
better time to be a bull rider or a perspective bull rider.
There's a lot more money than there was previously.
I think handled properly it can be better.
Better means more than 40 guys in one association
should be able to participate in the growth of the sport," said
Gay.
Sanctioned events will be
held in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana,
Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Virginia,
Iowa, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Mississippi and Alabama.
Gay states "these states have are venues that have shown an
interest in WBF,
but heck, we are ready to go anywhere but Afghanistan."
The WBF will have their
first event on April 26-27, 2002, in Asheville, NC.
There will be $5,000 added money.
There next event will be on May 10-11 in Jacksonville, NC, at Camp
Lejeune,
the worlds largest Marine Corps Base, with $3,000 in added money.
Gay states that, "Craig
brings a wealth of experience to WBF.
He and his wife, Kristina, have put on successful events in several
states.
Their event in Jackson, TN. was chosen as the NABA Indoor Bull Riding of
2001."
While home recovering from a
recent auto accident, Copeland states,
"I am averaging 25 phone calls a day from contestants and stock
contractors,
and three buildings are inquiring about the possibility of hosting the
finals.
Donnie and I are real excited about the future of WBF and corporate
sponsorship
is developing quicker than I ever expected."
WBF will, in fact, have a
2002 championship finals. Location and prize money to be announced.
If you want to belong to an
outfit that wants the best for everybody,
in other words, that everybody has an equal opportunity to win, you
should belong to the WBF.
"Because short of winning, nothing else matters. Learn how to
win.
You're not going to win every time, but if you have the best animal in
the draw, you try and win first.
If you have the very sorriest animal in the draw, you try and win
fourth.
Keep a good attitude about it and more times than not you can
place," Gay concludes.
For information on the World
Bullriding Federation call 910-814-1717
or E-mail, wbfnow@aol.com. A web site is currently being developed.
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